Category: MISC

Menu Plans for 3 Sides of Crazy


Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie

 Breakfast Lunch Dinner Date
Monday

oatmeal

 out
 Taco Ring 9/21
Tuesday toast

 soup
 Bleu Enchiladas
&
Refried Beans		 9/22
Wednesday cereal
 sandwiches
 Chicken Posole 9/23
Thursday yogurt
 chili
 Sloppy Joes 9/24
Friday toast
 sandwiches
 Spaghetti Bolegnese

9/25
Saturday Oven Poached Eggs Picnic
 Tomato Spaghetti Cups 9/26
Sunday S.O.S. or S*$# on a Shingle Crab Salad Chicken Apple Puff Bundles 9/27

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Chicken Fried Chicken with Peppered gravy, Family Favorite Mashed Potatoes and Sugared Carrots ~ Simply Delicious Sunday


CHICKEN FRIED CHICKEN
2 large boneless chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2-4 tablespoons butter(enough to keep chicken from burning~add as necessary)

  • Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts.
  • In a shallow glass pan, pour buttermilk over chicken 1-2 hours prior to cooking.
  • Make sure to coat chicken well and turn at least once during soaking.
  • Drain, but do NOT rinse the buttermilk off.
  • In a medium sized fry pan melt the butter over medium heat. As butter melts and begins to very slightly sizzle, prepare breasts.
  • In a small ziploc bag mix together the flour, salt and pepper.
  • One at a time, put each chicken breast in bag and coat well with flour mix and then into sizzling butter.
  • Cook on one side until edges begin to bleed and then turn.
  • About 6 minutes each side depending on plumpness.
  • Keep chicken warm.

PEPPERED GRAVY
3 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons Wondra flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup whipping cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper + (to taste)

  • Melt butter into bottom of pan you just cooked the chicken in.
  • Scrape up any of the chicken pieces and mix into new butter.
  • Add flour slowly, stirring until absorbed by butter and golden brown.
  • Slowly add first the milk and then the cream.
  • Stir constantly until thickens.
  • If necessary sprinkle in more Wondra until desired thickness is reached.
  • Serve over chicken and mashed potatoes.

FAMILY FAVORITE MASHED POTATOES
4 large Yukon potatoes, peeled & quartered
4 ounces Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened
1 small bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/4 + buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter
salt & pepper to taste

  • Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender.
  • Drain.
  • Mash all together salt and peppering to taste.

SUGARED CARROTS
1 small bag baby carrots, washed
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons PURE maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Blanche carrots in sugared water until just tender.
  • Drain.
  • Blend together brown sugar, maple syrup and butter.
  • Toss with carrots.
  • Bake 20 minutes.

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Food for thought

I seem to be the “go to” source for many people when it comes to answering trivia questions. Hubby came home from the VFW tonight and said a few of the elderly Saturday night regulars wanted me to look up and find the difference for them between 35% alcohol and 70% volume. What I found surprised even me.

There is a complete definition you can find at Wikipedia, but this is the part I found the most interesting:

In the 18th century and until 1 January 1980, Britain defined alcohol content in terms of “proof spirit,” which was defined as the most dilute spirit that would sustain combustion of gunpowder. The term originated in the 18th century, when payments to British sailors included rations of rum. To ensure that the rum had not been watered down, it was “proofed” by dousing gunpowder in it, then testing to see if the gunpowder would ignite. If it did not burn, the rum contained too much water and was considered to be “under proof.” A proven sample of rum was defined to be 100 degrees proof; this was later found to occur at 57.15% alcohol by volume, which is very close to a 4:7 ratio of alcohol to total amount of liquid. Thus, the definition amounted to declaring that (4÷7) × 175 = 100 degrees proof spirit.

From this it followed that pure, 100% alcohol had (7÷7) × 175 = 175 degrees proof spirit, and that 50% ABV had (3.5÷7) × 175 = 87.5 degrees proof spirit. To convert percentage of alcohol by volume to degrees proof spirit, multiply the percentage by 1.75.

In the United Kingdom, the proof-to-ABV ratio is 7:4. In the United States, it is 2:1. By these standards it takes less drinks to get your buzz in the United Kingdom.

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Tuna and Bean Salad ~ Simple Saturday

Is it really Saturday? Again! Time flies, I swear. The older I get, the faster it passes me by…kinda freaky. But this simple meal is anything but freaky bad segue? with it’s pantry and refrigerator staples. It is one of my favorite things to throw together….plus, it’s packed with protein! Simple Tuna & Bean Salad

find the original post here on girlichef
from Mark Bittman’s Kitchen Express

This is more of a “guideline” than a recipe…you use what you have in your pantry! No white beans? Use black beans or red beans! No tuna? Use salmon or crab! Switch up your fresh herbs to match your substitutions and you have an endless variety of Simple Saturday meals!!

Mix a cup or so of precooked or canned cannellini beans (drained) with a can of good tuna (packed in olive oil), a handful of chopped parsley, salt, pepper, a teeny bit of garlic (optional) or shallot (or red onion, or scallion, or whatever), and, if you have it, a sprig of rosemary. Drizzle with olive oil, toss, adjust seasoning and serve.

Have you made something Simple this week? Please share it on Mr. Linky and then show some love by visiting other people who have linked! Do you have any favorite Tuna Salad combos? Leave a comment and give us some idea! See you next Saturday…

Bleu Enchiladas ~ Definitions & a Recipe

Foodie Friday is hosted by Michael Lee at Designs by Gollum
Simple Saturday is hosted by girlichef at oUr KrAzY kItChEn
Friday Food is hosted by Nicole at Momtrends & there is a slumber party hosted by Martha at Menagerie tonight




Enchiladas are one of the most versatile of Mexican food items in my opinion. As long as there is a tortilla and some chile sauce, the rest of it is left up to your imagination. This also makes them one of the simplest of foods.

Enchiladas varieties are distinguished primarily by their sauces and fillings. Your options are only as endless as your own imagination and your families likes and dislikes.

  • Mexican street food was originally corn tortillas dipped in chili sauce and eaten without fillings.
  • Enchiladas con chili colorado are made with a traditional red enchilada sauce composed of dried red chili peppers that have been soaked and ground into a sauce with other seasonings. Today red enchilada sauce may also be tomato-based with red chilis added.
  • Enchiladas verdes are enchiladas made with green enchilada sauce composed of tomatillos and green chilis.
  • Enchiladas suizas, meaning Swiss, indicates the dish is topped with a white, milk or cream-based sauce, such as béchamel. This derived from Swiss immigrants to Mexico who established dairies to produce cream and cheese. Today it is most commonly sour cream.
  • Stacked enchiladas are also called Enchiladas montadas which is a New Mexico variation where the enchiladas are served stacked, with the filling between flat tortillas, and are often topped with a fried egg so I’ve read. Both red and green sauces are used. I have heard them referred to as Mexican pizzas. They remind me of stacked tostadas.
  • Gravy style enchiladas are the dominant variety of enchilada found throughout Southern and Central Texas according to Wikipedia. These have a gravy-like chili sauce (often called brown sauce) over either cheese filled or beef filled corn tortillas and are topped with a layer of Monterey Jack or combination of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese.

BLEU ENCHILADAS
4-5 ounces bleu cheese crumbles, finely crumbled
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup medium cheddar cheese
1 small Vidalia onion, chopped fine
1 pound shredded beef*
1 small can green chiles, drained well & chopped
2 cloves minced garlic, jar
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 small can red enchilada sauce
tortillas

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a small skillet bring a small amount of oil to high heat. Quickly saute onion and garlic until fragrant and translucent.
  • Toss together the shredded beef, chopped onion, minced garlic, bleu cheese crumbles and half of each cheese.
  • Sprinkle with sea salt and cumin.
  • Toss again until seasonings are well blended with the meat mixture.
  • Drizzle lime juice over all and toss again.
  • Fill each tortilla and roll closed.
  • Place seam side down in a lightly greased casserole dish.
  • Pour sauce over top.
  • Top with remaining cheeses.
  • Bake 15-20 minutes.

*I like to use leftover pot roast

~~For Black & Bleu Enchiladas add chopped black olives~~
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Freezer Biscuits: What Did You Bake Today?

Just so that all of you feel comfortable posting things you haven’t really baked today, I am posting something that I am baking next week. These biscuits are amazingly light and tender and SO convenient. You make them up in bulk, freeze them and then use only the amount you need. I think you can buy something similar to this in the freezer section, but this is much cheaper and my middle name (this week) is Cheap.

Freezer Biscuits:
5 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup Crisco
2 cups milk
Combine first 5 ingredients. Cut Crisco into the flour mixture using a pastry blender or fork (or a food processor).  Combine buttermilk and flour mixture, stirring slowly until well combined. Dump onto a well floured counter and knead for 2 minutes or until dough is not sticky and feels elastic. Roll out to 1/2 – 1/4 inch thick. Cut out circles with a floured glass or biscuit cutter. Place on a cookie sheet and into the freezer. When frozen, place into a ziplock bag.

To use, let rise in greased pan with biscuits touching each other. Dot each biscuit with butter and bake 425 degrees until tops are golden brown (about 10-12 minutes)

What Did You Bake Today?

German Pancake ~ What Did You Bake Today?


GERMAN PANCAKE
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted + a little to coat the pan
1 teaspoon vanilla
Juice of 1 lemon
Powdered Sugar

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Coat the inside of an ovenproof 12 inch skillet with butter or PURE. Be sure to remember to edges and sides.
  • In a mixing bowl beat the eggs until well blended.
  • Add the milk and blend again.
  • Sift together the flour and salt and gradually fold into the egg mixture.
  • Add the melted butter and vanilla, blend until smooth.
  • Pour batter into the buttered skillet.
  • Bake 15 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to 350 minutes and bake another 10 minutes until pancake has billowed high and turned golden brown.
  • Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar. You can also use regular maple syrup or molasses or I especially like it with Blackberry Pineapple Dipping Sauce or Lemon Sauce.
  • Serve immediately.

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Turkey Taco Cups – Healthy Helpings

I made these on Saturday and they were really fun to eat. Little tortilla cups are a healthier alternative to store bought taco shells.

Turkey Taco Cups
Serves: 4
4 10 in (burrito-size) flour tortillas (I use Carb Balance Whole Wheat Tortillas w. 8 gms of fiber)
1 lb ground turkey (I make sure to use ground turkey breast as it is the leanest)
1 carrot shredded
1 pkg (1 oz) taco seasoning mix (the packs that I found were 1.5 oz, I only used part of a package, to suit my family’s taste)
1 c chopped lettuce
1/2 c shredded cheese
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
Sour Cream if desired

1. Heat over to 375F. Cut three 4 1/4 in circles out of each tortilla. (I did not have a cookie cutter of that size, but I did find a small round storage container that I was able to use.0 Place each circle into a muffin pan to shape into a cup. Bake 8 to 9 min until crisp. Cool.

2. Meanwhile cook turkey and carrot with taco seasoning. Divide turkey mixture, lettuce, cheese, and tomato among taco cups. (Part of what Tara likes about having tacos is assembling them herself, so instead of assembling all of the cups, I put the fixin’s on the table).

Thursday 13 ~ ALL ABOUT PEPPER


Thank you Janet and Megan for resurrecting it!
  1. Originally from the tropics, pepper is a berry from the vine Piper Nigrum.
  2. There are many types of peppers grown all over the world.
  3. Most of the flavor is lost during cooking.
  4. Pepper should be added after cooking.
  5. Pepper stimulates gastric juices and stimulates digestive processes.
  6. Brings out and strengthens the inherent flavor of food.
  7. Black and white pepper come from the same vine.
  8. When first harvested the berries are red, odorless and tasteless.
  9. When dried in the sun they become black and spicy.
  10. White pepper is made from berries allowed to ripen longer and the berries are soaked (fermented) to remove the outer coating.
  11. White pepper is less spicy than black pepper.
  12. It is best to buy whole peppercorns and grind them as needed.
  13. Commercial ground pepper is made from a mixture of various peppers.
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It’s Party Time at OuR KrAzY kItChEn

Halloween Fall Round Up

WHEN: Sunday, October 18th ~ Saturday, October 31st, 2009
WHERE: OuR KrAzY kItChEn
RSVP: MR. LINKY

We’re having a party here at the OuR KrAzY kItChEn and you’re invited. Bring your favorite recipe, decorating idea, pictures, anecdotes and let’s have some fun together.

  • Do you have a special popcorn ball recipe?
  • What is your favorite fall recipe?
  • Do you have a favorite apple recipe?
  • Do you have special way to carve pumpkins?
  • How about a party punch that’s perfect for Halloween?
  • What is your idea of a best costume?

We’ll post Mr. Linky on October 19th and leave him in place through Halloween. Write your post piece and come link it up. We’ll all have some time to blog hop and see each other and try recipes.